Current NIST Research: Building Energy Efficiency Solar Energy Electrical Measurements Smart Grid

David Yashar Deputy Chief, Energy and Environment Division Engineering Laboratory National Institute of Standards and Technology U.S. Department of Commerce

NIST R&D Role: Measurement Science and Standards

• Sustainable materials, components, and systems

• Building energy-use reduction through in-situ performance measurements

• Energy-use reduction through embedded intelligence in building controls

• Emerging building energy technologies

• Carbon footprint metrics and tools for computing those metrics

High Efficiency HVAC Systems and Controls

Fuel Cell Test Facility

Metrics & Tools for Sustainable Buildings

Energy Use Carbon Emissions

First Cost Energy Costs

Life-Cycle Costs Rates of Return

Carbon Footprints Fossil Fuel Depletion

Water & Land Use Human Health Water Pollution

Air Pollution Embodied Energy

Energy Simulation

Life Cycle Assessment

Life Cycle Costing

Sustainability

Economic Performance

Energy Performance

Environmental Performance

A whole building sustainability measurement tool for adoption of • More efficient and cost-effective energy codes • More rigorous green building rating systems • Science-based and cost-effective green building codes

Building Industry Reporting and Design for Sustainability (BIRDS)

“Low Energy Case” design • Goes beyond ASHRAE 90.1-2007

• Insulation, fenestration, lighting densities, daylighting, and overhangs

Adopting a “Low Energy Case” design for all commercial buildings decreases…

• Energy use, energy costs, and energy-related carbon emissions for all 50 states • Life-cycle costs for 47 of 50 states for a 10-year study period

For a low-rise office building, over a 10-year study period…

• National average energy use decreases by 23.0% • National average life-cycle costs decrease by 2.2%

Advanced Insulation Measurement Techniques

Develop measurement techniques, apparatus, and Standard Reference Materials to accurately measure/predict insulating capabilities of conventional/advanced insulation materials

Phase Change Material (PCM)

NIST 500 mm Guarded-Hot-Plate Apparatus

Vacuum Panel Insulation (VIP)

Aerogel insulation

Design and In-Situ Performance of Vapor Compression Systems

• To create novel simulation and optimization tools for designing highly efficient equipment and demonstrate their capability

– Validate by working with equipment manufacturers and improving current products without increasing material cost

Measure the air flow distribution through finned tube heat exchangers using Particle Image Velocimetry

Simulate heat exchanger performance with PIV data and employ evolutionary algorithms to modify refrigerant circuitry for optimal capacity

System analysis and fault classifier

• To support and improve commissioning methods for residential AC systems

– Characterize sensitivity of heat pump performance to faulted operation

– Recommendations to improve standards for quality installation

Geothermal Heat Exchanger Testing

Thermal Response Test Rig

vertical borehole horizontal u-tube horizontal slinky

• Compare performance of three common types of heat exchanger

• Evaluate design guidelines • Evaluate long-term

performance of GSHX integrated with Net- Zero Energy home

Novel Working Fluids for High-Efficiency HVAC&R Equipment

Concerns over global warming and ozone depletion will limit or phase out several refrigerants currently used in commercial and residential cooling and heating equipment

NIST will develop the tools necessary for the US industry to use to select replacement fluids:

• Thermodynamic cycle performance evaluation • Heat transfer and pressure drop measurements/correlations • System optimized for new fluid

Fault Detection and Diagnosis for Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps

• FDD and Commissioning for Heat Pumps • Test and Evaluate the Effectiveness of

FDD Algorithms/Hardware • Adaptive FDD Applied to Dedicated

Dehumidifying Heat Pump Installed in NZERTF

Automatic Fault Detection and Diagnostics (FDD) Embedded in Commercial Buildings

Distributed HVAC Devices (10’s –

1,000’s units/bldg.)

Central Cooling & Heating Plant

(3 – 10 units/bldg.)

Air Handling Units (1 – 10 units/bldg.)

FDD module networks autonomously to data available

within the HVAC control system…

…to automatically detect and diagnose malfunctions and wasteful conditions (faults)

among the many HVAC system components.

Existing HVAC System Controller

Commissioning Building Systems for Improved Energy Performance

• Cx has the potential to enable continuous building evaluations, provide necessary feedback across building life-cycle

• Improve performance by 10 % to 30% using embedded intelligence software to automate labor-intensive commissioning process

• Accelerate adoption by demonstrating and documenting economic benefits for the U.S. building stock

Construction Occupancy Operations Design Occupancy

Cos

t to

Dev

elop

Info

rmat

ion

Current Manual Process

Interoperable Data Process

Planning

(Breaks due to change of phases, players, use)

Sensors for Improved Building Monitoring

Explore novel sensor technology that could be used as part of monitoring systems to determine energy consumption in buildings

Develop test methods to assess the performance of wireless sensor networks for building applications

Mesh Network Connection

Wireless Communication Tests Wireless Sensor Nodes

3.4 3.2 3.0 2.8 2.6 2.4 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

20 °C 30 °C 40 °C 50 °C

PER

[%]

Voltage [V]

Building Automation Testbed and Standards Laboratory testbed capable of emulating a variety of buildings and

climates under normal operating conditions and a range of fault or hazardous conditions

• Supports Cx and FDD research • Supports protocol enhancement research

Provide technical input for improving key industry standards including BACnet and BACnet conformance testing standards.

0100200300400500600700

1995

1997

1999

2001

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2005

2007

2009

2011

Number of BACnet Vendors Virtual Cybernetic Building Testbed (VCBT)

Solar Cell/Module Characterizations

400 600 800 1000 1200

SR [A

.m2 /W

]

λ [nm]

SR X

AM

1.5

G [A

.nm

]

Isc for AM 1.5

Developing, utilizing, and combining aspects of two techniques for measuring a cell’s absolute spectral responsivity (SR)

Computer Signal Analyzer

LED drivers

LED signals

light guide Solar cell

DMM #9 #8

#1

#6 #5 #4

#3 #2

#7

Switch box w/ mirror

Order sorting filters

Chopper

3-grating monochromator

Monitor detector (Si/Ge)

QTH bias light

Custom Current preamplifier vacuum x-y-z stage

Xe source

QTH source

PC

multiplexer

Monochromator-based SR System

LED-based SR System

Lock-in amplifier 1

Lock-in amplifier 2

Reference Cell Calibrations with SI-Traceability

Solar Photovoltaic Test Beds PV performance and meteorological data from field-installed solar systems

Characterize solar cells & modules => improve module ratings and computer models

Engage industry partners and end-users.

Fabricate a state-of-the-art PV accelerated weathering facility.

Define, design, and expose PV materials, components and mini-modules.

Characterize degradation mechanism under multiple simultaneous stresses.

Develop and validate service life prediction models.

Measurement Science for Service Life Prediction of Polymers Used in PV Systems

NIST is developing and implementing measurement science for predicting the lifetime of polymeric materials utilized in PV applications.

NIST SPHERE for Accelerated Weatherability Testing

Linking Laboratory and Field

Degradation Measurement and Failure Analysis

Total Effective Dosage Model

Cumulative Damage Prediction Model

Service Life Prediction Models

Building to Smart Grid Integration • Home and building

energy management in the smart grid

Photovoltaic Energy

Thermal Storage

Smart Appliances Electric

Vehicle

Air-conditioning, Lights & other building systems Smart

Meter

Standard electric price, usage, weather

signals $, kWh

• Interoperability standards for buildings communicating with the smart grid

Whole-Building Energy Modeling and Measurements

Reducing uncertainty in modeling tools and measurement techniques for making predictions on whole-home energy use

MONITORING SYSTEMS FOR HOME ENERGY USE FEEDBACK

Identifying sources of measurement error Developing a test method to evaluate accuracy and wireless communication

RETROFITS TO EXISTING HOMES

Quantifying variability of energy audits Standardizing retrofit recommendations

ENERGY MODELING Sensitivity analyses of residential

building energy simulations Improving energy efficiency standards

Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility • Demonstrate various technologies and operating strategies to

achieve net-zero energy in a typical home • Develop guidelines for performance measurement and operation of

net-zero homes • Provide “real-world” field data to improve models and test procedures • LEED Platinum

Photovoltaics Solar Thermal

Water Heating Extensive Instrumentation

3 Ground Source Heat Pump Loops

3 HVAC System Options: •Traditional

•High Velocity •Multi-split

Heat Recovery Ventilator

Automated Loads: •Lights •Electrical •Hot Water •Appliances

• Demonstrate net-zero energy

• Create test bed for in-situ measurements of components and systems

• Quantify impacts of embedded controls intelligence & building-to-grid interactions

• Compare actual installed performance to controlled laboratory measurements

LEED Platinum

Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility

Energy and Environment Division

A. Hunter Fanney David Yashar Chief Deputy Chief Hunter.fanney@nist.gov dyashar@nist.gov